A Concerned Parent of a Women Cricketer
For nearly two decades, the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has been through controversies, internal disputes, court interventions and repeated attempts at administrative correction. Yet, for those watching the game from the stands rather than the corridors of power, one uncomfortable question remains: when will the promised reform actually reach the cricket field?
This is not merely an administrative question. It is a question being increasingly asked by parents whose sons and daughters spend years training, competing and dreaming of representing Hyderabad.
As the parent of an aspiring women cricketer, I have watched that dream closely. I have also watched the frustration grow.
There was a time when Hyderabad cricket benefited from people who promoted the game without the lure of big grants, money or positions. Their commitment, along with the contribution of genuine coaches such as the late Sampath, helped create a cricketing culture that produced outstanding players, including Purnima Rao and Mithali Raj, who went on to represent India at the highest level.
That legacy makes the present situation particularly disappointing.
Women’s cricket deserves far greater seriousness than it appears to receive. Hyderabad has, for several seasons, struggled to make a significant impact in various age-group and senior competitions. Whether at U-15, U-19, U-23 or senior level, consistent success has remained elusive. Meanwhile, several other state associations have recognised the rapidly changing landscape of women’s cricket and invested in structured competitions, scouting and development pathways. Andhra Pradesh, for instance, has now launched a women’s premier league, reflecting the growing importance being attached to creating competitive platforms for women players.
The contrast is difficult to ignore.
A state association aspiring to produce elite cricketers cannot depend merely on selecting a squad shortly before a tournament and hoping for results. A modern women’s cricket programme requires year-round preparation, measurable performance standards, professional coaching, transparent selection and systematic talent identification.
This is precisely where serious questions arise about HCA’s current approach.
There are concerns among players and parents that selection processes have not always inspired confidence. The repeated presence of players despite prolonged under-performance, and the continued reliance on familiar faces, inevitably creates questions about whether performance is genuinely the overriding criterion.
Such concerns deserve an answer—not dismissal.
There are also questions about the manner in which coaching and selection responsibilities are structured. If personnel are drawn from institutions outside HCA and are not directly accountable to the association, who ultimately takes responsibility when Hyderabad repeatedly underperforms? Accountability cannot be outsourced.
Most importantly, selection must be demonstrably merit-based.
Probables and practice matches should be genuine opportunities for players to establish their credentials. If parents and players begin believing that selection outcomes are predetermined, the damage extends far beyond one tournament. It destroys confidence in the system and discourages talented youngsters who may already be making enormous personal sacrifices.
Allegations that influential individuals can pressure or influence selection decisions are serious. They should neither be casually accepted nor brushed aside. They should be independently examined. If such allegations are baseless, an objective process will establish that. If there is substance in them, the system must be corrected.
The answer is not complicated.
HCA needs a professional women’s cricket structure with clearly defined responsibilities for selectors and coaches. Their appointments should be based on competence and credibility, and their performance should be reviewed against clearly defined Key Performance Indicators. Selection should be based on objective statistics, match performances, fitness, fielding standards and demonstrated potential—not reputation, connections or recommendations.
HCA should also seriously consider establishing a Centre of Excellence for women’s cricket, supported by a year-round scouting and talent-identification programme. Young players should be identified early, monitored systematically and provided professional coaching, fitness, nutrition and match exposure.
Most importantly, selectors must be independent enough to say “no” when a player does not meet the required standard.
The governing council cannot continue to view poor performances merely as unfortunate results. Repeated failure is a management issue when the same structures, personnel and selection patterns continue without meaningful correction.
The HCA has already been under judicial scrutiny and has seen court-appointed mechanisms brought in to help restore credibility and proper administration. That creates an additional responsibility on everyone involved to ensure that genuine cricketing grievances are not lost amid the larger institutional battles.
This appeal, therefore, is not against any individual. It is for the young cricketers who still believe that talent should determine their future.
The HCA governing council and the Single Member Committee appointed under the High Court’s intervention should examine these concerns objectively, without prejudice and without protecting anyone merely because they occupy a position of influence.
Parents are not asking for favours. Players are not asking for charity.
They are asking for a fair chance.
And after years of waiting, Hyderabad’s cricket lovers have every right to ask a simple question:
How much longer must they wait for reform to reach the cricket field?
